Fastener



y 1934- w. E. RICHARD 1,960,922

FASTENER Filed March 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l @i\ W s k A I I 50 i May 29, 1934. w RlCHARD 1,960,922

FASTENER Filed March 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 29, 1934 FASTENER William Edward Richard, Evansville, Ind., as-

signor to Sunbeam Company, Evansville, Indiana Electric Manufacturing Ind., a corporation of Application March 7, 1928, Serial No. 259,736 9 Claims. (01. 292-101) The present invention relates to headlights of the type commonly used on locomotives and industrial power installations.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved form of hinged cover for the front of the headlight so that the light may be kept free from dust and water when in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means for rapidly closing and opening the front cover of the headlight, and to provide means for detaching the cover entirely from the balance of the assembly without the use of any tools, and with a minimum of effort.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for closing the front door of the headlight and holding said door closed, which are arranged so as to be adjustable to compensate for any looseness occasioned by wear, or by the compression of a gasket which may be placed between the headlight door and the body of the headlight itself.

A further object of the present invention is to provide transparent or translucent side windows for the headlight, in which the transparent medium is held against the frame-work of the window by improved and simple means which allow of ready installation or change in the said transparent medium.

A further object of this invention is to provide simple and improved means for holding the transparent medium, such as glass, in the headlight door in such manner that the glass may be held dust and water tight, while at the same time adjustment of the pressure of the glass against the frame may be had from the outside of the headlight without the necessity of opening the door.

Further objects of the invention will be disclosed in connection with the description and claims, as well as the drawings which form a part of the present invention. In the said drawings:

Figure l is a front View of an improved headlight embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same headlight;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the lower portion of the front end of the headlight showing the means employed for holding the glass in the front door-frame;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detailed, sectional view of the means employed for holding the glass in the side window of the headlight;

Fig. 5 is a detail of an eccentrically drilled pivotal bolt upon which the latch holding the front door is pivoted;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the eccellfil'ically drilled pivotal bolt shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a front view of the clamping means employed in holding the window in the front door;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the clamping memdoor is pivotally hinged upon the pins 15. The

door swings upon the hinges formed by the pins 15 and by two parallel projections 16, which form an integral part of the circular frame 17 of the door 13. When the door is open the same may be lifted from the pins 15' and thus completely removed from the headlight assembly, this forming one of the features of the present invention.

The headlight door is provided with a glass front or lens 18 of circular shape. The glass 18 is kept tightly against the circular frame 17 by a number of clamping means, which will be described in detail hereinbelow. The interior of the housing 11 contains the parabolic reflector 19 and a headlight bulb (not shown) positioned at the focus thereof, one or two lights being also provided to illuminate the interior of the rearward compartment of the headlight so as to illuminate the side windows, which are usually employed to carry numbers or letters, as is customary in railroad work. The front door 13 is provided with means for holding the same tightly against a circular gasket 20, which surrounds the front end of the housing 11, and is held thereon by means of a flange 21. This gasket may consist of soft rubber or of fibrous material of such type that when the frame 1'7 of the door 13 is forced against the resilient material 20 a substantially air and water tight joint will be formed.

However, in order to ensure this tight joint, it is necessary to provide means to hold the front door tightly against the resilient gasket 20. This is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing the frame 17 of the front door with a latch 30 having a handle portion 31 and a cam-shaped engaging portion 32 which cooperates with a roller 33 pinioned upon a stud on the flange surrounding the front end of the head light housing. The latch 30 is pivoted upon an eccentric castellated pivot-bolt 34 which, when the headlight is first put into service, is so adjusted that the distance between the periphery of bolt 34 and the roller 33 is at its minimum.

This construction is shown in greater detail in Figs. 5 and 6, where it will be seen that the pivot 34, in effect, consists of a castellated bolt 34 having the slots 35 in the head thereof and which is drilled eccentrically at 36. It is to be understood that the latch is pivoted upon this bolt, which, in turn, is fastened to a suitable pinion which forms part of the front door casing. The said pinion is drilled for the reception of a cotter pin 37 so that by turning the castellated bolt 34 upon the pinion the effective distance between the pivotal support of the latch 30 and the roller 33 cooperating with the cam portion 32 of the latch may readily be altered. This makes it possible to adjust the pressure with which the front door presses against the gasket 20, in case there should be any wear or if the gasket becomes compressed and shrunk. All that is required in this caseis to remove the cotter pin 37 and then, while the latch is engaging the roller 33, turning the castellated bolt 34 until the door is again tight against the gasket 20, whereupon the cotter .pin is re-inserted through one of the slots 35 and the hole in the pinion upon which the bolt 34 is mounted.

The means employed for holding the glass 13 within the front door-frame 17 is illustrated in Fig. 3. The door frame 17 is provided with a drilled opening through which there extends, at an angle to the glass 18, a screw provided with a head 4 and a nut 42, which latter works against a washer 43. The screw 40 also traverses a movable triangular member 44, which bears with its horizontal surface against the interior surface of the door frame 17 and bears with its vertical surface against a resilient gasket 45, of rubber or other suitable material, which is preferably disposed between said surface and the inner surface of the glass 18. This gasket is illustrated as embracing the edge of the glass 18 and having a portion extending between the upwardly extending flange 17a of the door-frame 1'? and the glass, as shown at 172). However, separate ring gaskets may be employed with equal effect on both sides of the glass.

As will be seen in Fig. 3, the effect of tightening the screw 40 will be to propel the triangular member 44 in a forward direction against the interior surface of the glass 18, thus causing the same to be held tightly between the resilient gaskets, so that an air and water tight joint will be secured. From the construction shown, it will be seen that these screws may be tightened from the outside of the door-frame so that if the glass should become loose and rattle, this difficulty can be overcome without the necessity of opening the door and thereby exposing the parabolic reflector to possible moisture or dust. Furthermore, the replacement of the glass in case of breakage, is easily accomplished by loosening the screw 40 and removing the triangular members 4 1, putting in a new glass, and again tightening the same. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, it will be seen that there are provided a plurality of these members, which, in general contour, are shaped to fit the interior circular shape of the front door-frame 1'7. The general type of the members as, as seen from above, is illustrated in Fig. '7. This construction is simple and particularly effective and contributes materially to the sturdiness and simplicity of the headlight construction exemplifying the present invention.

The means employed for holding the windows frame 52 is provided with a gasket 53 against in the side door of the headlight are illustrated in Figs. l, 9 and 10. The door itself, as shown in Fig. 2, is of standard construction, consisting of a substantially flat side door-frame, hinged at two places at the top and provided with the usual bolt fastening means 50. A resilient gasket 51 is likewise provided to keep the door air and moisture tight, this construction being of the type commonly known in this art. The said doorwhich the glass 54 rests. There may be a second glass 5.4a, which is sometimes used to carry numbers, letters, etc.

In order to hold the glass against this gasket 53, there is provided a metallic member 55 which consists of a straight portion 56 and a smaller portion 57 bent longitudinally at an angle, as best seen in side view as shown in Fig. 10. The member 55 is also provided with a plurality of slots '58 extending for a portion of its width. These slots engage a corresponding number of screws 60 which serve to hold the member 55 against the interior surface of the glass 54a. Whenever it is desired to remove the glass, it is not necessary to remove the screws 60 entirely, but merely to loosen them whereupon the member 55 is slid upwardly and removed, allowing the glass to be taken out. To replace the glass it suffices to place the same against the gasket 53, slide the member 55 into engagement with the screws 60, and thereupon to tighten the screws. As this member 55 is made of resilient material, the bent portion 57 will tend to straighten out somewhat under the pressure of the screws so that the glass will be held against the gasket 53 by yielding pressure which prevents all looseness and rattling. This construction is particularly advantageous as it allows ready replacement of the glass and an interchange of any indicia that it may be desired to have placed thereon. The tool required for changing the glass in both the front door as well as of the side door is merely a common screw-driver, and the operation is so simple that it may be performed by any one with a minimum of mechanical skill. .120

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that the present invention provides a very useful type of headlight construction which combines ruggedness with simplicity, and which can be produced on a large scale at comparatively low price. The particular advantages inherent in the construction shown and described lie in the ready adjustability of the pivotal bearing of the front door latching device; in the adjustable means for holding the glass in the front door of the headlight and in the simple means for holding the glass in the side door of the same.

While the above invention is described in connection with the aforesaid embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the same is illustrative only and that many modifications in the actual structural details and in the employment of equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of said invention. It is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and the showing of the prior art.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a latch construction, in combination, a latch pivot, a cam latch pivoted thereon, and a roller engageable with said latch, and means for varying the distance between the periphery of said pivot and said roller.

2. In a latch construction, in combination, a 150 pivoted cam latch, an eccentric pivot for the same, a roller engageable with said latch, means for varying the position of said eccentric pivot, and means for locking said eccentric pivot in any desired position.

3. In a latch construction, the combination with a pair of members to be closed and a latch for closing the same, of means for tightening said latch closure comprising an eccentric pivot upon which said latch is pivoted and means for changing the position of said eccentric pivot comprising a stud on which said eccentric ,pivot is pinioned and means for holding the eccentric pivot on said stud in any desired position.

4. In a door-retaining latch, means for adjustably pivoting said latch comprising an eccentrically drilled pivot, a stud pinioning said pivot, and means for locking said pivot on said stud.

5. A latch construction comprising the combination with a pair of members to be latched together, of a stud mounted on one of said members, an eccentrically drilled pivot bolt pinioned on said stud, a cam latch pivoted on said pivot, a roller pinioned on the other of said members and cooperating with said latch to hold said members together, and means for locking said pivot upon its stud comprising a castellated head on said pivot and a hole in said stud adapted to receive a cotter pin.

6. In combination with a latch for doors and the like, a holding member adapted to be engaged by the latch and means for adjusting the distance between the latch engaging portion of the holding member and the latch support, said means comprising a pin, an eccentric sleeve rotatable thereon, means for locking the sleeve in adjusted position.

7. In a latch construction adapted to draw together a pair of members to be closed, means for tightening said latch comprising a normally fixed eccentric pivot mounted upon one of said members and upon which said latch is pivoted, and means for changing the angular position of said eccentric pivot.

8. A latch comprising a portion for engaging a keeper and a handle portion, and an eccentrically' movable member upon which said latch is pivotally mounted, said eccentric member being stationary with respect to said keeper during the latching operation but being rotatable to a plurality of positions to vary the effective distance between the keeper and said mounting point.

9. A latch comprising a rigid one-piece member including an engaging portion and a handle portion, and a normally fixed eccentric mounting for said latch, said mounting comprising means for altering the effective distance between members fastened by said latch.

WILLIAM EDWARD RICHARD. 

